Overview

Brief Summary

Biology

The capybara is an efficient grazer, able to crop the short, dry grasses left at the end of the tropical dry season (3). Although the diet comprises mainly grass, it also includes aquatic vegetation, such a water hyacinths, as well as other plants, grain, and sometimes fruits (2) (3) (4). When alarmed, the capybara is capable of running swiftly over land, and often dives into water to escape (2) (4) (6). A strong swimmer, it is able to stay underwater for up to five minutes at a time (3) (6). The species is normally active morning and evening, resting during the heat of the day, but has apparently become nocturnal in areas where it is persecuted by humans (2) (4). A social species, the capybara is typically found in family groups of around 10 to 30 individuals, comprising a dominant male, one or more females (which are often related), young of various ages, and one or more subordinate males. Most solitary individuals are male. Group size may depend on habitat, and in the dry season several groups may gather around dwindling pools, forming temporary aggregations of up to 100 or more animals. However, when the wet season returns, these aggregations split into the original groups that formed them (3) (5) (8). All adults in a group help defend the territory against intruders, and regularly scent mark the area using secretions from anal scent glands. These secretions may also be used for individual recognition, as the proportions of chemicals they contain differ between individual capybaras (3) (8). Capybaras mate in the water (3) (6). The female usually gives birth to a single litter each year (4) (6), at the end of the rainy season, after a gestation period of around 150 days (3) (8). Usually, up to eight young are born, and are highly developed at birth, able to follow the female and even eat grass within the first week of life (3) (4) (5). Weaning takes place at around 16 weeks (4), although milk is a relatively minor part of the infant's diet compared to grass (5). All young within the group tend to stay together in a crèche, and may suckle from any nursing female (3) (8). The capybara reaches sexual maturity at around 12 to 18 months, and may live for up to 10 years in the wild, or to 12 years in captivity (3) (4).

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Description

At over a metre in length and weighing as much as an adult human, the capybara is the largest rodent in the world. A stocky, somewhat pig-like animal, it is characterised by a large, blunt head, heavy muzzle, short, robust legs and rudimentary tail (2) (3) (4). The hair is coarse and sparse, and varies in colour between dark brown, reddish and yellowish brown (2) (3) (5), occasionally with some black on the face, the outer surface of the limbs, and on the rump (4) (6). The capybara shows a number of adaptations to a partly aquatic lifestyle. It is able to swim with only the nostrils, eyes and short, rounded ears protruding out of the water, as they are placed high on the head (3) (4) (7), and the body contains a large amount of fatty tissue, giving it a neutral buoyancy in water (6). The feet are also partially webbed. Each of the forefeet has four toes, while the hindfeet have only three, and each toe bears a strong, hoof-like claw (2) (4) (5). The capybara often sits on its haunches like a dog, but, unlike many other rodents, is unable to hold food in its forefeet (2). The male capybara can be distinguished from the female by the obvious, highly developed scent gland on top of the snout. Known as a morillo, this dark, naked, raised area secrete a copious white, sticky fluid, thought to be involved in signalling dominance status (3) (4). In addition to using scent, the capybara also communicates through a variety of vocalisations, including growls, whinnies, alarm barks, whistles, and a constant guttural purr emitted by the infant (2) (3) (4). This species is distinguished from the lesser capybara, Hydrochoerus isthmius, by its larger size (5), although there is some confusion over the distributional boundaries of these species (1).

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Distribution

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris is a strictly South American rodent species. Its range extends throughout most of Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Columbia, south into the Argentinian pampas, and west to the Andes.

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Physical Description

Morphology

Capybaras are the largest of rodents, weighing from 35 to 66 kg and standing up to 0.6 meters at the shoulder, with a length of about 1.2 meters. Females of this species are slightly larger than males. Their fur is coarse and thin, and is reddish brown over most of the body, turning yellowish brown on the belly and sometimes black on the face. The body is barrel-shaped, sturdy, and tailless. The front legs are slightly shorter than the hind legs, and the feet are partially webbed. This, in addition to the location of the eyes, ears, and nostrils on top of the head, make capybaras well-suited to semi-aquatic life.

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Ecology

Habitat

Capybaras are found only in areas where water is easily accessible: flooded grasslands are a favored habitat, as are marsh edges and lowland forests where grazing is good and there is water year-round. However, they occupy a range of habitats, including dry forest, scrub, and grasslands throughout South America.

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Habitat and Ecology

The species occurs only in habitat close to water including marshes, estuaries, and along rivers and streams (Eisenberg and Redford 1999). Depending on habitat and hunting pressure, they are found singly or socially. They are diurnal or nocturnal depending on hunting pressure and the season (Eisenberg and Redford 1999). In Venezuela and the Brazilian Pantanal, the species breeds throughout the year, usually with a single breeding cycle. Gestation lasts up to 120 days after which an average of 3.5 young are born (range, one to seven), the peak birth period is during February in the Brazilian Pantanal (Eisenberg and Redford 1999).

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The capybara inhabits a variety of lowland habitats close to water, ranging from rivers and lakes in rainforest, to marshes, brackish wetlands, swamps, and seasonally flooded grassland and savanna (2) (3) (4) (5). Suitable capybara habitat needs a mixture of water, dry ground and pasture (5), and habitat use may change seasonally to follow the availability of these resources (8). The capybara is most numerous on the seasonally flooded grasslands of the Llanos in Venezuela and Colombia, and the Pantanal of Brazil (2) (5), giving it its common name, which translates as “master of the grasses” (6) (7).

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Trophic Strategy

Capybaras are grazers, feeding mainly on grasses and aquatic plants. Bark and fruit are consumed occasionally. They are also cophrophagous and spend part of each morning re-ingesting the previous day’s food.

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Associations

In many parts of South America capybaras are the only large grazing species and can have a dramatic effect on the vegetation in an area. They are also mutualists or commensals with several types of birds which pick parasitic insects out of capybara fur or follow grazing capybaras and eat the insects they stir up from the grass. In addition, they are an important prey species for many different animals, as mentioned above.

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Especially while young, capybaras are an important food source for many large predators, including anacondas, caimans, jaguars, and humans. While grazing, they are constantly on the lookout for predators and give an alarm bark when one is spotted. They often hide in the water, with just their nostrils and eyes exposed, and can stay completely submerged for up to five minutes.

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Life History and Behavior

Behavior

Vocalization appears to be very important in capybara groups, but the purpose of many of the sounds made is unknown. However, young vocalize almost constantly and vocal communication among adults is also common. Individuals bark to warn the group of danger, this often results in the whole group rushing into the relative safety of the water. Scent is also important, especially in mating and establishing dominance. Male capybaras have a bare lump on the top of the snout, known as the morillo gland, which secretes a white liquid. The scent of this liquid acts as an olfactory “fingerprint”, signaling the status of the individual. It is rubbed on trees or shrubs to mark territory, or smeared on the male’s body to advertise his status and willingness to mate. Both males and females have two glands on either side of the anus. The combination of chemicals in the liquid they secrete is also highly individualized and seems to be used to recognize group members and mark territory.

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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

Maximum longevity: 15.1 years (captivity) Observations: The biggest rodent, the capybara is relatively short-lived for its body size. One study in the wild reported a high juvenile mortality, particularly in the first year of life, resulting in a life expectancy at birth of shortly over one year. The oldest females found in the same study were 6 years of age and the oldest males were 7 years of age (Jose Moreira 1995). Other estimates and anecdotal reports suggest these animals may live up to 10 years in the wild (Ronald Nowak 1999). One captive specimen lived for 15.1 years (Richard Weigl 2005).

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Reproduction

Capybaras are polygynous to promiscuous. Dominant males in social groups try to monopolize mating activity, but this can be nearly impossible, especially in larger groups. Little research has been done on female mate choice in capybaras, but females have been observed mating with both dominant and subordinate males.

Capybaras breed throughout the year, with a peak in breeding activity at the beginning of the rainy season. When a female comes into estrus, a male will begin to follow her closely, sometimes for long periods of time, before mating occurs. During this time, the male is often driven off by a more dominant male, who then takes his place. Copulation occurs in the water and typically lasts only a few seconds, but a female usually copulates several times per estrus period. Young are born after 150 days, in litters ranging in size from 2 to 8.The young are precocial, beginning to stand and walk shortly after birth, and can graze within a week of being born. They are weaned at about 3 months old, during which time they suckle both from their own mother and the other females in the group, who are usually closely related.

Breeding interval: Capybaras produce one litter of young per year.

Breeding season: Breeding occurs year-round with a peak in May and June, the beginning of the rainy season.

Young capybaras stay with their parents' group until they are about a year old. They nurse for the first three months of this time. Both before and after weaning, the young move around together in a creche, and some of the work of parenting (such as suckling and watching for danger) is shared among all adults in the group. During much of their first year of life, the young are small, slow, and easily tired, making them especially vulnerable to predators. The protection of their natal group is essential to staying alive. Little is known about individual parental care in capybaras, but it seems that, because of the precocial state of the young and the system of cooperative parenting, the time and resources spent by each parent after birth are minimal.

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Conservation

Conservation Status

The IUCN lists capybaras as a species of least concern, citing its large population, large distribution, and frequent occurrence within protected areas. However, some local populations are in decline due to over-hunting.

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, occurrence in a number of protected areas, and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

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Trends

Population

It is locally common and widespread, but uncommon or rare in populated areas of the Amazon (Emmons and Feer 1999). Populations in the rainforest are small and narrowly restricted to open watersides (Emmons and Feer 1999). In the Brazilian Pantanal, densities reached a maximum of 12.5 animals per hectare (Eisenberg and Redford 1999).

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Threats

This species is severely threatened by hunting; some local populations have been extirpated (Eisenberg and Redford 1999). Capybara leather is valued in South America and from 1976 to 1979 almost 80,000 skins were exported from Argentina (Eisenberg and Redford 1999). There is a large internal market for the skins.

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The capybara is extensively hunted for its meat and hide, as well as for a grease from its thick, fatty skin, which is used in the pharmaceutical trade (4) (5) (9). The hide is used to make high-quality leather (5) (6), for which there is a large internal market within South America (1), and the fur may be used to make gloves (10). The capybara is also sometimes killed by farmers as a pest, either because it may attack cereal or fruit crops, or because it is mistakenly viewed as a competitor with domestic livestock (3) (4) (6) (9). Despite these threats, the species still has a wide distribution and large global population (1), and the increasing conversion of forest to grassland, together with management regimes employed on cattle ranches (such as predator control, provision of water, and burning), may even be helping to create more suitable capybara habitat (5) (9). However, some local capybara populations have decreased or even disappeared where hunting pressure is intense, such as near human settlement and along rivers, which are the main travel routes of hunters (1) (2) (10).

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Conservation

The capybara occurs in a number of protected areas throughout its range (1), and efforts have been made to control hunting in many areas (9). Despite this, the capybara is still often killed illegally, and capybara meat is commonly found in rural markets throughout Amazonia (9). However, with its fast growth rate, large size, social lifestyle, cheap diet and high reproductive output, the capybara, if properly managed, is believed to be of great potential for sustainable harvest programmes (2) (9). The species is currently hunted commercially in licensed ranches in the Llanos of Venezuela, which has apparently resulted in stabilisation of the local capybara population (3) (5) (9). The capybara is in fact more efficient at digesting plant material than cattle and horses, and ranching this species in its natural habitat provides a viable and more profitable alternative or addition to cattle ranching (3) (9). Additionally, it helps to maintain natural wetlands which may otherwise be drained for cattle (4). It has been suggested that other seasonally flooded savanna areas, such as the Pantanal of Brazil, have the potential for similar schemes for the sustainable management of this remarkable rodent (9).

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Capybaras are hunted for their meat and leather, both of which are said to be very high-quality. Capybara meat is especially popular during Lent, the 40-day period prior to Easter, because it is approved by the Catholic church as an alternative to beef or pork. (Presumably, the semiaquatic habit of the capybara convinced early priests that it was similar to fish.) Large-scale ranching of capybaras has been proposed to curtail illegal hunting and the animals have proved easy to domesticate, at least in small numbers. In fact, capybaras are more efficient grazers than cattle or other introduced livestock and are already an important source of food for many local people.

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Wikipedia

Capybara

This article is about the animal. For the video game developer, see Capybara Games.

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a large rodent of the genus Hydrochoerus of which the only other member is the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius). The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. Close relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, chinchillas, and the coypu. Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species and is hunted for its meat, hide and also for a grease from its thick fatty skin which is used in the pharmaceutical trade.[2]

The capybara and the lesser capybara belong to the subfamily Hydrochoerinae along with the rock cavies. The living capybaras and their extinct relatives were previously classified in their own family Hydrochoeridae.[6] Since 2002, molecular phylogenetic studies have recognized a close relationship between Hydrochoerus and Kerodon[7] supporting placement of both genera in a subfamily of Caviidae.[4] Paleontological classifications have yet to incorporate this new taxonomy and continue to use Hydrochoeridae for all capybaras, while using Hydrochoerinae for the living genus and its closest fossil relatives, such as Neochoerus.[8][9] The taxonomy of fossil hydrochoerines is also in a state of flux. In recent years, the diversity of fossil hydrochoerines has been substantially reduced.[8][9] This is largely due to the recognition that capybara molar teeth show strong variation in shape over the life of an individual.[8] In one instance, material once referred to four genera and seven species on the basis of differences in molar shape is now thought to represent differently aged individuals of a single species, Cardiatherium paranense.[8]

The capybara has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head, with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of its body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Its sweat glands can be found in the surface of the hairy portions of its skin, an unusual trait among rodents.[6] The animal lacks under hair, and guard hair differs little from over hair. Adult capybaras grow to 106 to 134 cm (3.48 to 4.40 ft) in length, stand 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) tall at the withers, and typically weigh 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lb), with an average in the Venezuelanllanos of 48.9 kg (108 lb).[10][11][12] The top recorded weights are 91 kg (201 lb) for a wild female from Brazil and 73.5 kg (162 lb) for a wild male from Uruguay.[6][13] The dental formula is 1.1.0.01.1.3.3.[6] Capybaras have slightly webbed feet and vestigial tails.[6] Their hind legs are slightly longer than their forelegs; they have three toes on their rear feet and four toes on their front feet.[14] Their muzzles are blunt, with nostrils, and the eyes and ears are near the top of their heads. Females are slightly heavier than males.

Capybaras are semi-aquatic mammals[12] found throughout almost all countries of South America (except Chile[15]). They live in densely forested areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds, and marshes,[11] as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in tropical forest. Capybara have flourished in cattle ranches.[6] They roam in home ranges averaging 10 hectares (25 acres) in high-density populations.[6]

Many escapees from captivity can also be found in similar watery habitats around the world. Sightings are fairly common in Florida, although a breeding population has not yet been confirmed.[16] In 2011, one was spotted in the Central Coast of California.[17]

Capybaras are herbivores, grazing mainly on grasses and aquatic plants,[11][18] as well as fruit and tree bark.[12] They are very selective feeders[19] and will feed on the leaves of one species and disregard other species surrounding it. They eat a greater variety of plants during the dry season, as fewer plants are available. While they eat grass during the wet season, they have to switch to more abundant reeds during the dry season.[20] Plants that capybaras eat during the summer lose their nutritional value in the winter and therefore are not consumed at that time.[19] The capybara's jaw hinge is not perpendicular and they thus chew food by grinding back-and-forth rather than side-to-side.[21] Capybaras are coprophagous, meaning they eat their own feces as a source of bacterial gut flora, to help digest the cellulose in the grass that forms their normal diet, and to extract the maximum protein and vitamins from their food. They may also regurgitate food to masticate again, similar to cud-chewing by a cow.[22] As is the case with other rodents, the front teeth of capybaras grow continually to compensate for the constant wear from eating grasses;[15] their cheek teeth also grow continuously.[21]

Like its cousin the guinea pig, the capybara does not have the capacity to synthesize vitamin C, and capybaras not supplemented with vitamin C in captivity have been reported to develop gum disease as a sign of scurvy.[23]

Capybaras are gregarious. While they sometimes live solitarily, they are more commonly found in groups that average 10–20 individuals, with two to four adult males, four to seven adult females and the remainder, juveniles.[26] Capybara groups can consist of as many as 50 or 100 individuals during the dry season[22][27] when the animals gather around available water sources. Males establish social bonds, dominance, or, general group census.[27] They can make dog-like barks[22] when threatened or when females are herding young.[28]

Capybaras have two types of scent glands; a morillo, located on the snout, and anal glands.[29] Both sexes have these glands, but males have much larger morillos and use their anal glands more frequently. The anal glands of males are also lined with detachable hairs. A crystalline form of scent secretion is coated on these hairs and is released when in contact with objects like plants. These hairs have a longer-lasting scent mark and are tasted by other capybaras. Capybara scent-mark by rubbing their morillo on an object, or by walking over scrub and marking it with their anal glands. Capybara can spread their scent further by urinating; however, females usually mark without urinating and scent-mark less frequently than males overall. Females mark more often during the wet season when they are in estrus. In addition to objects, males will also scent-mark females.[29]

When in estrus, the female's scent changes subtly and nearby males begin pursuit.[30] In addition, a female will alert males she is in estrus by whistling though her nose.[22] During mating, the female has the advantage and mating choice. Capybaras mate only in water, and if a female does not want to mate with a certain male, she will either submerge or leave the water.[22][27] Dominant males are highly protective of the females, but they usually cannot prevent all the subordinates from copulating.[30] The larger the group, the harder it is for the male to watch all the females. Dominant males secure significantly more matings than each subordinate, but subordinate males, as a class, are responsible for more matings than each dominant male.[30] The lifespan of the capybara's sperm is longer than that of other rodents.[31]

Capybara gestation is 130–150 days, and usually produces a litter of four capybara babies, but may produce between one and eight in a single litter.[6] Birth is on land and the female will rejoin the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn capybaras, which will join the group as soon as they are mobile. Within a week, the young can eat grass, but will continue to suckle—from any female in the group—until weaned at about 16 weeks. The young will form a group within the main group.[15]Alloparenting has been observed in this species.[27] Breeding peaks between April and May in Venezuela and between October and November in Mato Grosso, Brazil.[6]

Though quite agile on land (capable of running as fast as a horse),[32] Capybaras are equally at home in the water. They are excellent swimmers, and can remain completely submerged for up to five minutes,[11] an ability they use to evade predators. Capybaras can sleep in water, keeping only their noses out of the water. As temperatures increase during the day, they wallow in water and then graze during the late afternoon and early evening.[6] They also spend a lot of time wallowing in mud.[14] They rest around midnight and then continue to graze before dawn.

Capybaras are hunted for their meat and pelts in some areas,[33] and otherwise killed by humans who see their grazing as competition for livestock. In some areas, they are farmed, which has the effect of ensuring the wetlandhabitats are protected. Their survival is aided by their ability to breed rapidly.[15]

Capybaras can be found in many areas in zoos and parks,[21] and may live for 12 years in captivity.[15] Capybaras are gentle and will usually allow humans to pet and hand-feed them.

Capybaras are farmed for meat and skins in South America.[35] The meat is considered unsuitable to eat in some areas, while in other areas it is considered an important source of protein.[6] In parts of South America, especially in Venezuela, capybara meat is popular during Lent and Holy Week as the Catholic Church previously gave a special dispensation that allows for its consumption while other meats are generally forbidden.[36]